Principle No. 5

Practice

Prepare cell spreads as thinly as the specimen will allow, air-dry, fix in methanol, and stain as recommended for the particular stain.

Historic Milestones

1880—Ehrlich prepares the first neutral stain mixture that allows differentiation of blood cells.1

1891—Malachowski and Romanowsky independently developed stains composed of eosin and “ripened” methylene blue that not only differentiated blood cells but also demonstrated the nuclei of malarial parasites.2, 3

1902—Wright publishes a “rapid method for the differential staining of blood films and malarial parasites.”4